The Oklahoma Sooners have had their ups and downs since appearing in two consecutive national championship games in 2003 and 2004. Those downs have mainly come in the offseason.

When Bob Stoops stripped the names off the back of the Oklahoma jerseys before the 2006 season, he made a statement about the work ethic of his program. Players weren't putting themselves before the team.

It started before the beginning of the 2005 season. A home-opening loss to TCU should have sent up plenty of red flags, and eventually it did. When Oklahoma stumbled out of the gate that year, Stoops took a hard look at his team.

The Sooners were more talented as a whole than they'd ever been. But the drive to succeed was at an all-time low.

That willingness to work toward success improved between the '05 and '06 seasons. The Sooners came out of the gates like a team who wanted to compete for championships. They ended up as Big 12 Champions even though they went through a tumultuous period to being their season.

But heading into 2007, the question has to be asked, how will this team develop in the offseason?